A Colorado traffic stop turned into a costly lesson for the Adams County Sheriff’s Office after deputies handcuffed a man for filming them, only to learn afterward that he was a Denver reserve police officer who understood exactly what the law allowed him to do.
According to a recent video by bodycam footage channel Bodycam Legend, the incident happened on December 19, 2023, after Barry Zatkalik recorded an Adams County deputy who he said had been speeding without lights or sirens before later pulling over another driver.
A Complaint Over Speeding Turned Into A Detention
The bodycam footage shows Zatkalik calmly asking the deputy for his name and badge number, explaining that he wanted to make a complaint because he believed the deputy had been driving around 80 mph in a 65 mph zone without emergency lights or sirens.
The deputy, later identified in the video as Deputy Walter Berlinski, responded by asking Zatkalik for his license, registration, and proof of insurance, even though Zatkalik insisted he had not been pulled over and had only stopped nearby while using his phone…